A police report shows that a Democrat Councilwoman’s claim that a Republican Town Supervisor fractured her wrist is, as the supervisor asserted, “baseless.”
According to The Daily Wire, Councilwoman Patrina Freeman claimed Irondequoit Town Supervisor Rory Fitzpatrick intentionally slammed a door on her hand and in the process, fractured her wrist.
The incident followed a heated discussion at a town board meeting on September 20.
Fitzpatrick called Freeman’s claim “baseless” and on Wednesday, was vindicated by a police report noting investigators “found no evidence to substantiate Freeman’s claims.”
The police report also noted that “no further action” would be taken over the matter.
According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Freeman claimed at a press conference:
“Supervisor Rory Fitzpatrick got aggressive and angrily pushed his chair back from the table and walked in the direction of the door.” And that when he was “behind where I was sitting, he threatened me by saying ‘be careful.’”
Freeman claimed that “Supervisor Fitzpatrick stormed out of the conference room with me right behind him as I was sitting nearest to the door. The supervisor got to the door first, opened the door forcefully, walked through, and then slammed the door on me, effectively hitting my hand and fracturing my wrist.”
Freeman told reporters: “What happened to me that evening and the behavior that led to it is categorically unacceptable, especially coming from an elected official.”
The Councilwoman filed a report with the Irondequoit Police Department the day after the alleged incident.
The Daily Wire noted that Freeman sued the town earlier this year for $1 million over alleged racial and gender discrimination.
The police released their findings on Tuesday. The investigator wrote: “Fitzpatrick] said he did not believe anyone was behind him at the time he left. He denied slamming the door and was never made aware of any injuries that Patrina had allegedly sustained.”
The investigator noted that the door Freeman claims slammed on her hand “has a self-closing door hinge making it difficult to slam shut.”
The report also noted that “while no video cameras captured the door allegedly shutting on Freeman, footage from the board meeting following the incident showed no indication the Democrat was injured.”
The report concluded: “No charges have been filed” and “no further action will be taken.”
Fitzpatrick praised the police report saying in a statement:
“The Supervisor categorically denies Councilwoman Freeman’s baseless accusation. Councilwoman Freeman filed a report with the Irondequoit Police Department, which conducted an investigation. After interviewing witnesses and reviewing video recordings, the Police Department determined that there was no evidence to substantiate the claim.”
The statement continued:
“The Supervisor regrets that this baseless accusation is distracting from the important business of the Town, which includes finalizing the 2023 budget, allocating more than $20,000,000 in ARPA funds for Town projects, and responding directly to residents’ concerns and inquiries.”